Speed control system for knitting machine



Oct. 22, 1968 F. c. WIESINGER ETAL 3,406,539

r SPEED CONTROL SYSTEM FOR KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 2, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTORS. FREDERICKC.WIELSINGER MICHAEL A.PETKO Y JOSEPH W. FLEMING ATIORNEY Oct. 22, 1968 c wlESlNGER ETAL 3,406,539

SPEED CONTROL SYSTEM FOR KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 2, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1 a. x 0 p58 \l 0 $93 y "7\ O O e l 1 ]"H [r 99 E I to O t Q 0 2 2' INVENTOR S.

\ 0 0 FREDERICK C-WIESINGER MICHAEL A. PELTKO A TTORNE Y United States Patent O 3,406,539 SPEED CONTROL SYSTEM FOR KNITTING MACHINE Frederick C. Wiesinger, Feasterville, and Michael A.

Petko, Philadelphia, Pa., and Joseph W. Fleming, Ramsey, N.J.; said Wiesinger and said Petko assignors, by mesne assignments, to John Donald Marshall and Horace L. Bomar, trustees, and said Fleming assignor to Ramsey Controls, Inc., Ramsey, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 2, 1966, Ser. No. 546,865 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-56) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A speed control device for a circular knitting machine. A series of manually movable buttons cause, when certain of their numbers are pushed, energization of either a high, low, or jog speed relay. When a relay is energized it completes a circuit by closure of contacts to include one of three potentiometers in the control circuit of a direct current motor which drives the machine. Thus one of three operating speed ranges are selectable and the speeds within each range are variable through potentiometer control.

This invention pertains to speed control means for circular knitting machines and more particularly to means for selectively presetting such machines to variable speeds.

It is a general object of the invention to provide simplified means by which the desired speed range may be varied.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a readily changeable means by which the operating high, loW and jogging speeds may be preset to the optimum for any knitting condition.

It is a still further object to provide a selectively controlled variable speed drive wherein the operating speed is visually disclosed by a tachometer.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a control means in which selected speed variations are easily and quickly made without the need for mechanical changes or substitutions.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide circuitry and variable controls for electrically driving a knitting machine at speeds selected by manually rotating graduated dials.

It has been common practice with knitting machines of the circular type to combine a high and a low speed into the driving mechanism and to alternate between these two speeds at prescribed intervals. To change either of these set speeds or to vary the range therebetween generally involved gearing substitutions and the resulting loss in production. This invention discloses means through which selected speeds may be simply made even during machine operation to both the high and low speeds as well as a jogging speed.

The invention will be described by reference to a specfiic embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the control panels of the invention fixed to the frame of a knitting machine; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the circuitry for the control system.

Now referring to FIG. 1, a circular knitting machine formed upon a frame is shown with a rotatively supported knitting mechanism, in this case an upper cylinder 11 and a lower cylinder 12. It will be understood that the inventive control system is applicable to any type circular knitting machine and not particularly to the one shown. Alternating current from a power source comes to the knitting machine through a power panel 14. A direct cur- 3,406,539 Patented Oct. 22, 1968 rent motor 15 is secured to the frame 10 in position to drive the knitting mechanism by conventional gearing (not shown). A relay control panel 16 and a speed indicator box 17 contain the circuitry of the instant invention and are secured to the frame 10 in convenient locations. This circuitry may be combined into a single panel box if desired or separated as shown in FIG. 1.

The master switch for powering the entire machine is enclosed in box 18 and a series of operating stations 19 and 20 (only two shown) are spaced about the frame 10 for easy access. Each operating station has the customary start button 21, jog button22, and stop button 23 whereby the machine is controlled from any position. These three buttons function by depressing and releasing except that the jog button 22 has in addition two rotative positions, that of jog or run. As this switching arrangement is well known in the art, it is not believed necessary to explain further here.

Now referring to the diagram of FIG. 2, power from the master switch 18 is connected to a transformer 24 in the relay control panel 16 and the secondary 25 delivers lowered voltage to the circuitry therein. The jog button 22 is shown in its run position, closing contacts 26 which are in series with the normally open start button contacts 27. When the start button 21 is now depressed, it will close the contacts 27 which are in parallel with a set of normally open contacts 28 on an interlock relay 29. The relay 29 will be energized thereby closing the contacts 28 and interlocking the relay 29. Another set of normally open contacts 30 on the start button 21 will close when it is depressed and energize the low speed relay 31. The machine is now running at low speed.

When the start button 21 is released, the contacts 30 will open, the low speed relay 31 will be de-energized, and another set of push button contacts 32 will be closed. As the relay 29 remains interlocked, this will allow the high speed relay 33 to energize and put the machine in high speed condition. The machine will always start at the low speed and whether it changes over to the high speed upon release of the start button 21 depends upon the position of an automatic Hi-Low switch 34 or a manual Hi-Low switch 35. When either or both of these Hi- Low switches is in the low position, the machine will continue to run in low speed even when the start button 21 is released. Either Hi-Low switch being directed to the low position will place the normally closed contacts 32 in series, through the normally closed contacts 36 on the jog button 22 when in the run position, with the low speed relay 31 only.

When the jog button 22 is rotated to the jog position (not shown), the contacts 26 and 36 will remain open. Then when the jog button 22 is depressed, interlock relay 29 will energize but will not interlock due to the open contacts 26. The jog relay 37 will also energize through the closing of the normally open jogging contacts 38 and 39 thereby putting the machine into jogging speed. When the jogging button 22 is released, both the interlock relay 29 and the jogging relay 37 will de-energize which will stop the machine. At this point all of the jogging button contacts 26, 36, 38 and 39 will be open.

A stop motion switch 40 representing a plurality of similar switches is connected through a stop motion power pack 41 which may be any commercially available automatic power cut-ofi device common in the art. The power pack 41 will include an energizing transistor and normally closed contact points. The interlock relay 29 is in series with the stop button 23, jog button 22, contacts 28, and the power pack 41' so that breaking any one of these contacts will break the interlock of the relay 29 and stop the machine. When the stop button 23 is depressed, contacts 42 will open. When the jog button 22 is depressed,

contacts 26 will open. And 40 is down, the contact points at 41 will open.

The speed indicator box 17 circuitry is wired to a silicon controlled rectifier circuit (not shown) at points 42, 43 and 44 (FIG. 2). When either the start button 21, or the jog button 22 when in the jog position, is depressed it will energize the relay 29 which will open contacts 45 and close contacts 46. This will remove a fixed resistor 47 from the SCR circuit and allow one of three speed control ranges to be selected by its own relay and be switched into the circuit to vary the operating speed of the machine. When the jog button is depressed, the jog relay 37 is also energized and will close contacts 48 and 49. The potentiometer 50 will now be in the circuit and may be used to vary the machine within the jogging speed range.

When the start button 21 is depressed, it will energize, in addition to the relay 29, the low speed relay 31 and close the contacts 51 and 52. The low speed potentiometer 53 will now be in the circuit and may be used to vary the speed within the low speed range. When the start button 21 is released, and if the two Hi-Low switches 34 and 35 are directed to the high position, the low speed relay 31 will de-energize and the high speed relay 33 will energize. This will close the contacts 54 and 55 and open the contacts 51 and 52 and the high speed potentiometer 56 will be placed into the circuit for use in varying the machine operation within the high speed range. A fixed resistor 57 is included in the low speed circuit to limit the low speed to only a portion of its full potentiality as a safeguard against over setting.

Adjustments are made to the high, low and jogging potentiometers through the relay control panel 17 with graduated knobs thereon (FIG. 1). A signal light 58 on the face of the panel 17 discloses that the circuitry is alive.

A brushless A.C. generator 59 is fixed to and driven by the motor 15 with the AC. voltage being rectified and filtered by a frequency converter generally designated 60 so that the D0. voltage may be read on a tachometer 61 which is a DC. volt meter marked to read in r.p.m. head speed of the knitting mechanism. A variable resistor 62 is included in this circuit to calibrate the meter 61 to read the actual speed of the machine.

With the instant invention, presetting of selected high and low operating speeds as well as a desired jogging speed is very easly accomplished. Changes to any one or all of those speeds are made without downtime or loss of production. Speeds may be preselected which will be the optimum for any knitting condition. Small changes may when the stop motion switch be made withineach range of speed by the smooth slepless power of a direct current drive.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but isintended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling Within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim: 2

1. In a circular knitting machine having a frame, a knitting mechanism rotatively carried in said frame, a motor means for driving said knitting mechanism, in one direction only, three variable speed control ranges within which said motor means may operate, wherein said speed ranges include a high speed range, a low speed range, and a jogging speed range, manually operable individual potentiometers and individual relay means for presetting said motor means to drive at the optimum within each one of said ranges, wherein said motor means includes a direct current motor for rotating said knitting mechanism at variable speeds, and in which the relay means includes a high speed relay means for directing a relatively high voltage to said motor resulting in rotation within said high speed range, a start button capable of energizing only a low speed relay means for directing a reduced voltage to said motor resulting in rotating speed less than said high speed range, and a jogging speed relay means for directing voltages to said motor which fall within a predetermined jogging range.

2. Mechanism as defined in claim 1 which further includes visual speed recorder means for observing the rotative speed of said knitting mechanism indicated in revolutions per minute.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,422,568 6/ 1947 Larkin 66--56 2,817,220 12/1957 Mahler et al. 6656 2,864,248 12/1958 Wiesinger 66-56 2,966,783 1/1961 McKibbin et al. 6656 3,099,142 7/1963 Mishcon 661 3,240,033 3/1966 Wainwright et al. 66-56 3,326,341 6/1967 Spinrad et a1 66-56 XR 3,232,079 2/1966 Levine et al 66154 FOREIGN PATENTS 287,570 9/ 1915 Germany.

WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner. 

